Guardians of Tara-lorium
by 100yearoldWhiskey
Summary: The direct sequel to Meet the Bodyguard: it appears that Tara-lorium has an even deeper significance than expected. It's up to the RED mercenaries to try to unlock secrets and discover the absolute truth about this mysterious substance. Story also includes my OC's, including the six new mercenaries (Rocketeer, Assassin, Outlaw, Weatherman, Femme Fatale, and Bodyguard).
1. Words of Warning

This is the direct sequel to "Meet the Bodyguard" from _Meet the Reinforcements_. The story features my own OC's, including the six new mercenaries (Rocketeer, Assassin, Outlaw, Weatherman, Femme Fatale, and Bodyguard). Mr. Ingram is also included in the story.

I'll still be posting more chapters for _Meet the Reinforcements_ while working on _Guardians of Tara-lorium_.

* * *

Chapter One

WORDS OF WARNING

* * *

Year = 1850

Elizabeth could only watch as Zephaniah Mann lay on his bed. Old and sterile, the man was just about ready to leave the earth. Just yesterday, he finished writing his will and testament. All he could do now was lie on his bed, close his eyes, and take deep breaths.

He slowly opened his eyes and whispered, "I would like to be alone for awhile."

Elizabeth nodded and left his bedroom. When she closed the door, she glanced over her shoulder to see Redmond Mann standing in the hallway. He held a frown on his face.

Elizabeth asked, "What brings you here?"

Redmond murmured, "I just want to have a little talk with my father."

"He doesn't want any company as of now."

"I need to speak to him about his will."

"You must not have heard me the first time. He wants some peace and quiet. You can talk to him later."

Redmond's voice grew hoarse. "You still forget that I am his son."

"And you still forget that you should respect your father's decisions, like _this _one."

Redmond shook his head and left the hallway. Elizabeth stood still for a few seconds more before she, too, left the hallway and walked down the stairs.

Downstairs, she found Silas Mann sitting in the living room, smoking a pipe. She felt like doing the same thing. She opened the front door to Mann Manor and walked outside. She stood on the porch as she lit her cigarette. She looked up in the night sky. The stars gave off a luminous gleam as they surrounded the crescent moon. The lights from inside the manor illuminated a small portion of the silent region. As she slowly inhaled and exhaled smoke from her cigarette, Elizabeth reflected on her acceptance of new responsibilities and new challenges. She had just received a large fraction of Zephaniah Mann's territory. She also had the task of taking over his accounts and his documents. She didn't have to worry about anything. She knew what to do with Zephaniah's possessions.

The front door opened, and Silas Mann appeared on the porch alongside her.

"Silent night, isn't it?"

Elizabeth replied, "Yes…yes, indeed."

Silas gave a long sigh. "I am deeply concerned."

"About what?"

"Zephaniah made the wrong decision. He shouldn't have split the land for his sons."

Elizabeth nodded. "I predict a long hard battle between Blutarch and Redmond."

"I hope they ease their quarrel in a much short time than I expect."

After a few seconds of silence, Silas asked, "Did Zephaniah mention anything else about his property?"

"No, he did not."

"What about his associates? Did he say anything about them?"

"Why are you so interested?"

"You know that my brother and I always trust each other. We never keep secrets from each other…but I have this uneasy feeling that he knows something that I do not."

"Perhaps it's just your paranoia seeping in."

"I can't be too sure about that. A few of his associates seemed very peculiar."

Something in the shadows caught Elizabeth's attention. She caught a glimpse of what looked like a human figure. It stood away from the light in Mann Manor.

Silas noticed her prolonged silence. "What is it?"

She whispered, "There is someone out there."

Silas stared at the darkness. He could see the hidden figure as well.

He called out, "Who goes there? Show yourself!"

The hidden figure moved closer into the light. Elizabeth and Silas watched as the stranger revealed himself. He wore a black-colored cape. He took off his hat, and Elizabeth and Silas could see that he had brown hair of medium length. He looked to have been in his mid to late 30's. Elizabeth didn't recognize him as any of Zephaniah's associates.

Silas asked, "Who are you?"

The stranger replied, "I'm a friend of Zephaniah."

Elizabeth exhaled a long plume of smoke. "I do not recognize you."

"I know that he doesn't talk of me much."

Silas uttered, "You don't look like someone from his workstation."

The stranger took a few more steps forward. "That is because I'm not a member of his organization."

"Care to introduce yourself?"

The strange kept calm. "My name is Ezekiel. I want to talk with Zephaniah."

The front door opened, and Barnabas Hale appeared alongside Silas and Elizabeth. He held a rifle in his hand.

"Is this lad causing you any trouble?"

Silas shook his head. "No, he is just here to visit my brother…or so it seems."

He asked Ezekiel, "Why do you want to see him?"

Ezekiel stood still. "I want to talk to him about our business affairs."

Elizabeth raised a hand. "The man doesn't want any company right now. You will have to leave."

"I must speak with him now."

Barnabas raised his rifle. "Did you not hear the lady? Zephaniah wants to be alone."

"When matters are important, it is wise to offer immediate information in spite of temporary silence."

Elizabeth replied, "Then tell us what Zephaniah needs to know, and we shall give him the news."

Ezekiel shook his head. "This is secret information."

Barnabas looked amused. "Oh, is it?"

Ezekiel began to look impatient. "I don't have time for nonsense. I must speak with him now."

Elizabeth stomped on her cigarette. "You should visit again in the morning."

"I don't think I'll have the chance in the morning."

"Listen, Ezekiel, you have no choice but to give us the information that Zephaniah needs."

Barnabas grunted. "And besides, I'm starting to have my doubts about you."

Ezekiel took a few steps back. "The information I'm providing is crucial."

Silas asked, "How _crucial_ can it be?"

"You don't understand."

Barnabas blurted, "Go on, Ezekiel! Get out of here! Just wait until morning."

"I don't have time to see him in the morning."

"Then, just wait for tomorrow afternoon."

Ezekiel looked up at the manor before looking down again and saying, "You don't know what you are dealing with."

Silas raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"When you have the chance…tell Zephaniah that he was right and I was wrong."

"And that's it?"

"_Tell him_…"

Ezekiel turned around and walked away. He disappeared into the shadows.

Barnabas lowered his rifle. "What was _that_ about?"

Elizabeth remained fixated on the darkness beyond the manor. "Did you see the look of fear on his face?"

"All I saw was the face of a loon."

Barnabas and Silas walked back inside the manor. Elizabeth stayed put, with her gaze still set on the shadows.

* * *

The three of them didn't even tell Zephaniah about Ezekiel's unexpected arrival. They decided to wait until morning. At midnight, everyone went to bed, except Barnabas, who kept watch from inside the manor in case Ezekiel paid another unexpected visit. Zephaniah kept his eyes open. His bedroom had been engulfed in natural gloom. The only light came from between the curtains. He could feel it. He could feel his end approaching. He welcomed it. He prepared to leave the earth in peace.

A sudden creaking noise distracted his anticipation. He looked to see his bedroom door slowly opening and closing.

He tried to speak out, "…W-who's there?"

He could see a human figure in the darkness.

"Who are you?"

"…It is only me."

The figure walked towards Zephaniah and revealed himself in the partial light.

"Ulysses? Is that you?"

The man in the darkness smiled. "Yes, I am here."

"What do you want?"

"I'd like to show you something."

Zephaniah could see Ulysses brandishing a dagger from his coat pocket.

"…W-what are you doing?"

Ulysses kept smiling. "This is our latest achievement."

Ulysses slit his thumb and a small trail of blood poured out from his newly made wound.

Zephaniah was a bit confused. "Why did you do that?"

"To prove a point."

Ulysses lit a match and held it at his injured thumb. All of a sudden, the blood began to glow a whitish-blue. It was so bright that it almost illuminated the entire spot where the dying old man lay.

Zephaniah's eyes widened.

Ulysses whispered, "We now understand its power."

Zephaniah's amazement caused him to draw his last breath and close his eyes for the final time.

* * *

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Demolition Before Dawn

Note: Looking back at TF2 canon, I found out that I messed up on a sub-plot in "Meet the Bodyguard" (something about RED Demoman, BLU Soldier, and their friendship/rivalry). It's now been fixed.

* * *

Chapter Two

DEMOLITION BEFORE DAWN

* * *

Year = 1968

Every single building for Builders League United had been severely damaged. The self-destruction from underneath the earth had caused the structures to either have the ceilings cave in or crumble completely due to the earthquake. When the terrain had been enveloped with silence once again, the RED team searched the ruins for any important information regarding the underground lair that had just been destroyed.

Spy sat on a boulder as he searched through documents that had been seized from the lair. The pieces of paper centered on the origins of Tara-lorium, the newly discovered liquid substance. It appeared that Ethan Fortier, the biochemist responsible for the formula that transformed the entire BLU team into mutant barbarians, had begun research on Tara-lorium at least seven months ago. Spy began to read articles that focused on the hiring of Fortier. It didn't surprise him when he discovered that the Administrator had hired Fortier to examine the liquid substance. She had handed him a large salary and notified him of his specific duties.

Femme Fatale arrived and asked him, "Are you finding anything important?"

Spy looked up from the papers and replied, "Nazir said something about a biochemist named Ethan Fortier. It seems that the man has been working on a formula that would enhance the BLU team's stamina and other capabilities. It took him seven months to develop it, and it appears that he still hasn't perfected it."

"It must have been obvious, seeing as how the BLU team looked rather grotesque."

"There is something else you should know. The Administrator is the one who is responsible for the discovery of the liquid substance."

Femme Fatale looked a bit surprised. "And she did not even tell us about it?"

"Why would she? Our only goal is to fight."

"But now she must realize that we are now suspicious about all of this."

"Yes, and she must know about the destruction of BLU territory right about now."

Both Spy and Femme Fatale observed the wreckage in front of them. Their teammates still searched through debris of various shapes and sizes for potential data.

Spy remarked, "One must wonder why the Administrator ignored such precautions."

* * *

The entire RED team was now on its way back to its own region. They took a stroll through the forest just as the sky produced a more purplish hue. Dawn would arrive soon.

As he walked past trees and bushes, Sniper noticed a grim look on Demoman's face. He asked him, "Are you all right, mate?"

Demoman shook his head. "It's nothing you should be concerned about."

"Come on, there's got to be something wrong. You've been like this since we got out of that cave."

"Even if I did tell you, you wouldn't even care."

"At least tell me what it's about so I can _see_ if I care or not."

Demoman sighed. "The BLU Soldier is dead."

Sniper understood. "So that's why you're a bit disheartened right now."

"You know happened a long time ago, Howard."

He did know what happened. A few years ago, RED Demoman and BLU Soldier became companions for a brief period of time. And then, they became rivals when Administrator got in the way. And now, BLU Soldier was dead because of detrimental side effects from Tara-lorium.

Sniper asked, "Now that he's gone, what now?"

Demoman replied "…I don't know."

* * *

As soon as they headed back to base, the RED team put away their artillery in their lockers. A few of them prepared to go to bed, even if morning almost arrived. The rest of them stayed awake. Demoman and Sniper left the barracks and headed outside. A more bluish hue had been added into the heavens. The stars faded, and the moon descended downward into the horizon. Demoman drank from his bottle of liquor and wiped his lips with his wrist.

Sniper remarked, "You have to admit, you _did_ care about the man."

Demoman tightened his fists. "I don't usually care about my opponents, but I didn't want to see him fall to his death."

"I'm sorry about what happened, mate."

"Quiet."

"I'm just saying-"

"No, I mean _be quiet_."

Demoman turned his bottle upside down. Sniper glanced at his direction. Someone stood from behind the trucks. Sniper pulled out his machete and yelled, "Who goes there?!"

The stranger didn't move.

Demoman shouted, "Go on! Show yourself!"

The stranger finally revealed himself by walking around the truck. He wore a hooded cloak. It looked as if he had come straight from the medieval era. Demoman and Sniper couldn't see his face.

Sniper asked, "Who are you?"

The stranger proclaimed, "I'm just a man."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The stranger took off his hood. Demoman and Sniper got to see his face. He was an old man, but he was a surprisingly handsome old man. He had no wrinkles on his face, and he had long white hair.

Demoman asked, "What kind of medicine do I have to take to look like _you_?"

The stranger replied, "There is no time for that nonsense."

Sniper didn't let go of his machete. "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"I am just here to warn you of the fatal possibilities of Dr. Fortier's elixir."

"How do you know of that?"

"I've seen it done before…a long time ago. Dr. Fortier has not yet perfected the formula, I can see. It's no surprise to me. It's _never_ been perfected for at least a hundred years."

With his Shotgun in his hand, Soldier ran out of the barracks and joined Demoman and Sniper. "Is this guy causing any trouble?!"

Sniper calmed him down. "We don't even know if he _has_ a weapon."

The stranger raised his hands. "I am defenseless. I didn't bring my artillery along with me."

Sniper asked, "Why are you warning us about this liquid stuff?"

"This isn't the first time it's been discovered. I should know. My friends tried to use it against pure evil, and I can't say that they've succeeded."

The sight of sheer brightness started to take place in the eastern horizon. The morning sun would reveal itself soon.

The stranger proclaimed, "I have to go now. Your Administrator will be here any minute now. Remember my warning. Tara-lorium is not to be taken for granted. It's much too powerful for the rest of the world to enjoy."

Demoman blurted, "But who in the bloody hell _are_ you?"

"My name is Ezekiel. That is all you have to know."

Ezekiel turned around and walked away, leaving the RED trio to ponder this brief encounter.

Soldier whispered to the others, "Do you want me to kill him?"

Sniper shook his head. "Of course, not! Whoever this man is, he certainly knows about this Tara-lorium business."

"Maybe he's from the BLU team."

"Or _maybe_ he's from some place that we don't know about. Look, we can't just stand here. We've got to tell the others about him."

TO BE CONTINUED…


	3. Complete Mysteries

Chapter Three

COMPLETE MYSTERIES

* * *

Soldier and Sniper had caught up with Weatherman, Engineer, and Medic at the lounge. They were about to drink their coffee, but Soldier and Sniper stopped them with urgent news from outside the barracks. They sat down at the card table with coffee mugs in their hands. Sniper told them everything involving their unanticipated encounter with Ezekiel, the mysterious stranger who somehow had knowledge regarding Tara-lorium. Sniper also described how Ezekiel looked and how he acted.

Engineer replied, "It sounds to me like the old man is a real nut."

Weatherman asked, "How would he have known about this Tara-lorium stuff?"

Sniper shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe he cooperated with the BLU team or something of that sort."

Soldier added, "It sure looks like a trick. He's probably going to lure us into a trap. He _did_ look very strange."

"That may be true, but it sounded as if he knows so much about BLU's discoveries."

Soldier noticed Medic's lack of a reaction. The German doctor sat there staring at his coffee mug with a blank expression on his face. Soldier asked him what he thought of this entire ordeal.

It took Medic a few seconds before he looked up and stared at Soldier. He finally said with a calm tone of voice, "I don't think ve should feel concerned about zis Ezekiel fellow."

Weatherman replied, "I don't think you heard about what we talked about. This guy knows about Tara-lorium. In fact, he probably knows something that we don't."

Sniper snapped his fingers. "We should have asked for his address."

"What good would that do? We don't even know if he even lives in a house."

Medic suddenly stood up from his chair and said, "Ve shouldn't take part in this. The Administrator shall figure this one out."

He walked out of the lounge, leaving his teammates almost flabbergasted.

Engineer scratched his head. "What's up with _him_?"

Soldier replied, "The destruction of the BLU team is probably getting to him."

Bodyguard arrived with a confused look on his face. "What is wrong with our little Medic friend? I could hear him cursing under his breath when I walked right past him."

Sniper rubbed his chin. "I'm starting to think he knows something that we don't."

"Well, whatever. We have to go outside. The Administrator is waiting for all of us."

Weatherman stood up. "Good. Maybe we can have a little chat about what the hell's been going on for the past seven hours."

Sniper shook his head. "Not a good idea, mate. We don't want her to think that we're being to suspicious about the BLU team."

"So what _can_ we do?"

Soldier murmured, "We'll just have to keep our mouths shut and see what's going to happen next."

* * *

The fifteen RED mercenaries gathered around right outside of the barracks. The Administrator waited for everyone to be silent. Miss Pauling stood next to her with a clipboard in her hands. At this time, the morning sun had risen from the horizon.

With her hands behind her back, Administrator proclaimed, "It has become clear to me that Builders League United is no more. The conflict is brought to a halt. We can no longer battle each other."

Rocketeer raised his hand and asked, "Does this mean we're out of a job."

Administrator gave a little grin. "Not necessarily. You still have a divine purpose for Reliable Excavation Demolition."

Demoman raised his hand. "What do we do now? We have no one else to fight."

"You still work for RED, and you will remain as members of RED. There is a brand new mission for all of you."

This could get interesting. The RED mercenaries listened carefully as Administrator asked, "Have any of you heard of Alcatraz Island?"

They all nodded. Administrator continued, "The prison closed four years ago, and the island is now abandoned. That is your next destination."

Soldier asked, "Why the hell would we want to visit an abandoned island?"

"There is a significant secret hidden beneath the island."

Scout raised his eyebrows. "_Now_ you got my attention."

Administrator continued, "There is a hidden door in the middle of the island. I want you to open it and delve deeper into the underground cave that has been hidden for over a hundred years. Now, I don't know the exact location of the door. You will have to find it yourself."

Spy lit a cigarette. "Why exactly is this cave that we're looking for so special, might I ask?"

"It has been occupied by Silas Mann. He has written numerous documents on his momentous discoveries. I need you all to find them for me."

Sniper whispered in Soldier's ear, "I feel suspicious."

Miss Pauling handed the clipboard to Administrator, who said, "You are to leave for San Francisco by tomorrow morning."

Soldier grunted. "That's just great. The BLU team almost kicks the living crap out of us, and now we're heading towards _hippie country_."

Heavy just had a thought. "But what if we die in San Francisco? How shall we respawn?"

Administrator replied, "There is nothing to worry about. The cave under Alcatraz has been abandoned for a very long time. Nobody even knows it exist, except for us."

Outlaw remarked, "I'd like to know more about these documents that we must retrieve."

"You will learn more about it as soon as you find it. Now you all must prepare yourselves for the trip. This will be your first mission outside of Mann Co."

Bodyguard smiled. "I always wanted to see San Francisco."

Femme Fatale appeared amused. "Just stay away from Chinatown. They have enough trouble cooking their orange chicken."

The RED mercenaries walked away, but Administrator stopped Spy from joining the others. She wanted to speak to him in private. They walked around the barracks.

Spy threw his cigarette down and stomped on it. "What is it you want to talk about?"

Administrator whispered, "I have a different mission for you."

"And what would that be?"

"I need you to go to Chicago. A particular rival of mine lives in that city. His name is Nathaniel Ingram. I need you to sneak into his home and examine his way of life."

"Is this man a true threat to us?"

"Yes, he is. I want you to steal the documents from his study room. The articles will tell me everything I need to know about his workplace."

"Will I receive an exquisite paycheck for this?"

"A raise will be granted if you do your job well. I might even include an extended vacation."

Spy smiled. "How considerate of you."

"Now, you shall leave for Chicago in the same time as your friends leave for San Francisco. I will give you directions and specific instructions for your trip."

"By any chance, does this Ingram fellow have anything to do with BLU's underground lair?"

Administrator pressed her index finger on her lips. "That is a secret that _cannot_ be uncovered."

TO BE CONTINUED…


End file.
